UNC Bears Getting ready for my next exam or test

College tests often include weeks of information and feel different than high school or community college exams. You might need to try new ways to prepare and expand your testing toolbox.

Elaboration strategies for successful storage

When you take an exam, you are hoping that you have stored the information successfully in your long-term memory and that you will be able to retrieve that information when the test is in front of you. Since there are two steps in this process, difficulties can arise at either the storage or retrieval step or both.

If you find yourself barely understanding or remembering information you just read, wrote down, or listened to in a lecture you may be having difficulties successfully storing the information in your long-term memory.

Many students have learned to rely on strategies that emphasize rehearsal or repetition, and while these strategies can sometimes be helpful, they are a huge drain on your time without as much benefit. Instead, try incorporating strategies that require you to elaborate on the information you're trying to store.

These strategies help your brain fast-track the information into long-term storage:

Elaboration resources

This Test Taking, Memory, and Elaboration Strategies handout has a list of both rehearsal and elaboration strategies and an example of using these strategies for an upcoming test.

Train your brain to start using elaboration strategies with this List of Example Elaboration Questions you can ask yourself while studying.

You can use elaboration strategies during lecture, while reading for class, or while studying for the exam. If you're looking to test out a new note-taking strategy, this Note-Taking Structure handout has examples of a few common notetaking methods and the elaboration strategies they use.

Using your own words

Putting information into your own words forces your brain to slow down and process the information on a deeper level - this is great for long-term storage! When you put the information into your own words it will probably be messy at first - that's okay! Just the act of trying speeds up the storage process.

Instead of copying notes exactly during a lecture or directly from the textbook, separate your notes into 2 columns. The left column can have the direct copy for you to reference and check that you're not missing anything. The right column is how you would explain the sentence or concept in your own words. Think about how you might explain it to a younger sibling, or someone who has never taken this class before.

Making connections

Our brains are wired with thousands of neural pathways - think of them as a superhighway web of information. When you make a connection between two ideas for the first time, a new road is built. The more you make connections between the two ideas, the bigger and faster that road becomes (Imagine expanding a dirt road into a 4 lane highway!). Bigger and faster roads mean better storage and easier retrieval at test time.

The connections can be anything - events or experiences from your personal life, previous classes, other current classes, things you've read or watched, etc. Don't be afraid to be silly, use humor, or make it weird! With practice, you can usually think of at least one other connection (this is also where brainstorming with others can help you think of things you may not have thought of on your own!).

Let's get visual

Our brains are incredibly visual - we have A TON of brain space dedicated to processing visual information. Graphic organizers are an excellent way to incorporate a visual representation of the content while also using elaboration strategies. Remember - they don't necessarily have to be pretty as long as you can understand them!

Tip: Use color and small pictures to give your brain an extra boost with the content.

You can also search for examples online or even adapt ones already in your textbook. Here is a Test-Taking Graphic Organizers PowerPoint with examples of graphic organizers for different content.

Are graphic organizers not your style? Any visual will work (online photos, diagrams from the textbook, stick figure drawings, etc.) but the most effective visual is one that is personally relevant or one you've created yourself. You don't need to be Picasso, just make it meaningful to you!

Self-testing and teaching

You've studied and utilized elaboration strategies but how can you feel confident that you actually have stored the information successfully AND will be able to retrieve it on test day? Build that confidence through self-testing! By testing yourself before the actual test, you'll be able to identify areas of strength and areas that need more attention - this helps you better structure your studying and your strategies.

Tip: Test yourself in multiple different ways to ensure you're approaching the content in many ways to best identify gaps. Here are some options:

Bloom's taxonomy part one

One helpful self-testing strategy is to use Bloom's Taxonomy in which you create questions at various levels of understanding and then generate your own answers to the questions.

Here is a handout that explains the various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy and provides example questions: Bloom's Self-testing Activity

Bloom's taxonomy part two

Here is a simplified example of questions using Bloom's Taxonomy: Bloom's Taxonomy Example

Tip: Lower levels of Bloom's are helpful for multiple-choice tests, while higher levels are great for short answer or essay questions.

Using study guides

If you find yourself overloaded with content and wondering where to start, remember to use any study guides given out by your professors. These study guides are clues into what content will be represented on the exams. If something isn't on the study guide, chances are it won't be on the test. Go through and see if you can answer the questions listed, explain the content/phenomenon, or define the words used in the study guide.

Tip: Be honest with yourself and don't settle for an answer or explanation that is "close enough".

If your professors don't use study guides, check for self-testing questions at the end of textbook chapters, review PowerPoint slides for what information was emphasized in lectures, or look at your syllabus for any highlighted content headers to give you a clue.

Teaching others

Teaching or explaining the content to others is another great method for both self-testing and storage. We may look at information and say "Oh yeah, I remember that!". But when it comes time to explain or apply that information (or even remember it when it's not in front of us) we may come up with blanks. The act of teaching or explaining information to others (even if it's only your cat or dog!) forces our brain to use many elaboration strategies at once and speeds up the storage AND retrieval processes immensely.

Tip: Try explaining content to a classmate who can help fill in gaps or correct any misunderstandings.

Testwiseness

So what happens when you start taking a test and some of the answers may not be coming to you? This is where 'Testwiseness' strategies can come into play. Testwiseness is the ability to use logic to eliminate incorrect answers and deduce correct answers, even when you may not have the best understanding of the content. Try out this 10-question Testwiseness Example Multiple-Choice Quiz that uses multiple-choice to demonstrate the power of testwiseness - most students can answer 8-10 of the questions correctly without even understanding the content of the questions themselves!

Proceed cautiously! Testwiseness is another tool you can utilize to help boost your odds of success on an exam, but using testwiseness alone without properly studying is unlikely to get you a passing grade.
This Testwiseness Strategies for Different Types of Test Questions handout has a list of various testwiseness strategies you can implement for different types of exams (i.e., multiple-choice, short answer/essay, math tests, etc.).

Bonus materials

Check out these additional resources and ways to apply this content to your life:

Additional resources

Not sure where to begin? UNC provides support resources and offices dedicated to helping you achieve your academic goals. A few tips and offices are listed below to help you get started.

Attend Office Hours! Professors are required to hold office hours and are usually eager for students to stop by - unfortunately many students never take advantage of this option for one-on-one time with their professor. If you are struggling to grasp the content and/or have specific questions, attend office hours (as often as they are available!). Come prepared with specific questions or areas in which you need more support and receive one-on-one instruction.
Visit TutorialServices! Tutorial Services offer peer support for nearly all subjects and many specific classes. It's free to use and there are many different tutoring options available including scheduled and drop-in hours. Check out the website for more information!
Visit the DRC! The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is open to all students - drop by anytime or make an appointment to discuss your current needs and/or any challenges you may be experiencing. The DRC can provide additional resources, help communicate with faculty, and generally ensure that students receive the supports they need to successfully navigate physical, mental, and emotional challenges that may get in the way of their academic success.
Seek help with managing stress and anxiety! High levels of anxiety and stress can override our brain and convince it to enter an overly aroused state. When our brains are over-aroused (imagine being chased by a bear) it prioritizes essentials for survival instead of remembering information for a biology test. Even though a mid-term exam may not be quite the same as being chased by a bear, our brains can sometimes still respond in similar ways for many different reasons. If you want support in managing anxiety and stress, visit the Counseling Center or the Psychological Services Center.
- Looking for other strategies to manage anxiety and stress? Check out the Help with my stress and anxiety page for more information!

Challenge

Pick out one (or more!) of the strategies above to test out during your next class or study session. *Take the time to test out different strategies for different classes to see which ones work best for you!*